Abstract
The maar of Lechmine N'Aït El Haj (LNH) is a monogenetic Plio-Quaternary volcano, located in the volcanic province of the Middle Atlas (Morocco). It is represented by a 110 m deep crater hosted in Liasic limestones. The tephra deposits surrounding the crater are mainly made up of pyroclastic beds interpreted as deposits of phreatomagmatic origin. They are overlain by a small unit of massive breccia tuff that reflects the transition of the eruptive style to the Strombolian. A supply of karstic water caused another transition of the eruptive style from the Strombolian to the phreatomagmatic dynamism. At the end of the volcanic activity, a significant karst collapse of the LNH maar occurred, leading to its current morphology. Petrographic data shows that the volcanic rocks are nephelintes. They are composed essentially of pyroxene and subsidiary olivine. They are silica-undersaturated and belong to sodic magma series. The distinctive geochemical characteristics indicate that the magma has a high MgO (11.4–14.2 wt%) concentration, a low silica content (38.5–40.8 wt%), and a high Ni and Cr concentrations (220–318 ppm and 330–451 ppm, respectively).
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Mountaj, S. et al. (2022). Eruptive History and Petrologic Evolution of the Lechmine N’Aït El Haj Maar (Middle Atlas, Morocco). In: Çiner, A., et al. Recent Research on Geomorphology, Sedimentology, Marine Geosciences and Geochemistry. CAJG 2019. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72547-1_69
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